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Wisconsin Football Recruiting: Top five targets in class of 2020

By Sam Land

MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 31: Head Coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates on the sidelines during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Camp Randall Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 31: Head Coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates on the sidelines during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Camp Randall Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /
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#3 – DeaMonte Trayanum

Position: Running Back

Hometown: Akron, OH

Rankings: 4-star (No. 318 overall, No. 24 RB)

Other offers: Arizona State, Ohio State, Penn State, Boston College, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Purdue, Rutgers, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Virginia, among others

Likely looking to take just one running back in the class as their choice to help carry on the program’s rich tradition in the backfield, the Wisconsin staff has identified DeaMonte Trayanum out of the Buckeye State as “Plan A” at the position, though fellow 4-star back Kevontre Bradford from Texas has recently emerged as another potential priority target as well.

Like a handful of other top targets, Trayanum is scheduled to be in Madison for the weekend of June 7. However, the Badgers face some stiff competition for his services, as the 4-star ball carrier is also high on Arizona State, Penn State, and Ohio State. Trayanum visited Tempe back on May 17, and he will take additional officials to State College (June 17) and Columbus (June 21) in the couple weeks after his trip to Wisconsin. However, it’s the hometown Buckeyes who appear to be the biggest threat to the Badgers at the moment.

Throwback Thursday Tribute: Barry Alvarez. light. Also

That being said, Wisconsin does have a few factors working in their favor in this recruitment. Trayanum was a high school teammate of incoming freshman fullback Quan Easterling at Archbishop Hoban in Akron and the opportunity to continue teaming up in the backfield in Madison has got to be an appealing sales pitch. Additionally, Wisconsin is recruiting Trayanum strictly as a running back (his preferred position), while other programs have expressed interest in him playing linebacker for them at the next level. As of now, it does not appear as though Ohio State has given him a guarantee that he would suit up in the backfield.

As with others on this list, Wisconsin will push hard to get a commitment from Trayanum on his upcoming official visit. However, with those trips to Penn State and Ohio State looming beyond that, it’s probably wishful thinking that he will pull the trigger that weekend. While the Badgers certainly loom large in this recruitment, my gut tells me that Trayanum ends up a Buckeye and Wisconsin will have to look elsewhere for a commitment at running back, as Ohio State very rarely misses on in-state products that it covets.